"Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." (1 Cor 6:11)

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Preparing for Church, part 3

It is a busy day in the life of many of you men. It is the start of college football! I am as excited as you are, trust me. But I want you to continue thinking about what it means to prepare yourself for church. I want to give you a second word of advice on what it means to prepare. Ready for this? You can prepare yourself for church by coming filled!

What does that mean? What I mean is to come to church with your stomach filled so that you do not have to wrestle with the hunger pains right as the preacher gets up to preach. Read Exodus 15-16 sometime and you will notice that the Israelites were completely distracted because their stomachs were not filled. Their physical conditions of hunger and thirst dictated their ability to concentrate on what the Lord wanted them to do. In my book, Helping Johnny Listen, I write:

"When listeners of sermons become hungry, they lose focus as well. My kids often become hungry to the point that they are going to 'die' if they do not eat soon. I know they are not going to die, but they think they are. They become so focused on their stomachs that no matter what I say to them, they only think of food" (35).

Have you ever been there? Have you ever been thinking about what restaurant you were going to rush to after the service and that distracted you from listening to the preacher? Have you ever been wondering whether your wife has a great meal planned after church? Can you smell the potroast?

Do yourself a favor and take this distraction away tomorrow. When you wake up, eat what you normally do on the other days of the week. Prepare yourself by coming filled!

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Thad Bergmeier

I am most importantly a follower of Jesus, because He has changed my life. I am the husband to the most gracious, kind woman I know: Monique Bergmeier. I am the father to three incredible kids: Karsten, J.T., & Anni. And I am a missionary with ABWE to help churches in North America reach the lostness of their communities. And hopefully, I am your friend.